Drill pipe handling apparatus



Nov. 27, 1962 R. P. BARKER DRILL PIPE HANDLING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 1, 1961 4rmelvevs Nov. 27, 1962 R. P. BARKER DRILL PIPE HANDLING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 1, 1961 INVENTOR. Passer P BAR/(E1? ATTOIQNEYJ nited States This invention relates to a novel drill pipe handling apparatus, and more particularly to a novel combination lift and automatic line brake for such apparatus.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of generally improved, more eflicient, and more practical apparatus of the kind indicated, which speeds up and renders easier and safer the handling of drill pipe, as in transit between a catwalk and a derrick floor.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a combination of the character indicated above, which provides a more secure and harmless grip on drill pipe or casing, which is easily released; and automatic gripping of a typical cable line as a pipe or casing is pulled from a catwalk toward and up onto a drill rig floor and any backward movement of the pipe or casing occurs, so that the danger of the pipe or casing sliding back toward the catwalk is eliminated, as between the removal of a catline from the casing or pipe and the connection of a pick-up line thereto.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a combination of the character indicated above, wherein the lift hook component is manually operated and locked in pipe gripping condition by means of an arrangement of over-center toggle lever means.

A still further object of the invention is the provision, in a combination of the character indicated above, of an automatic line brake component, which affords free movement of the brake component relative to a cable, during a roll-back of a pipe or casing, and a positive automatic grip on the cable during a pipe-loading or lifting cycle, the downward pull of the weight of a pipe or casing gripped by the lift hook component serving to pivot a spring retracted jaw on the brake component into wedged gripping relative to the cable.

Other important objects and advantageous features of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings, wherein, for purposes of illustration only, a specific form of the invention is set forth in detail.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of a derrick, showing a combination of the present invention applied to a pipe or casing lying upon a catwalk and to a lay-down line, and applied to a pipe or casing in transit from the'catwalk to the floor of the derrick and the lay-down line;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged side elevation of said combination, showing the same in relaxed condition, the lift hook component being in process of engagement with the trailing end of a pipe;

FIGURE 3 is a View like FIGURE 2, showing the lift hook component gripping the pipe and the brake component gripping the lay-down line;

FIGURE 4 is an edge elevation taken from the line 4-4 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary vertical central section taken on the line 55 of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 6 is a horizontal section taken on the line 6-6 of FIGURE 3; and,

FIGURE 7 is a horizontal section taken on the line 7-7 of FIGURE 5.

Referring in detail to the drawings, wherein like numerals designate like parts throughout the several views, the drawings show a typical oil well drill derrick 10 having a floor 12 elevated above the ground G, and a horizontal catwalk 14 supported on the ground G, and extending laterally from the derrick below the floor 12. A lay- I atnt.

3,665,865 Patented Nov. 27, 1962 down line 16 extends downwardly within the derrick 10,

- is trained around an element 18 and extends out along and above the catwalk 14, at a declining angle, and is secured to a standard 20, rising from the outer end of the catwalk. A cat line 22 extends downwardly in the derrick 10 and is angled tothe catwalk 14, and has a loop 24, on its lower end, adapted to embrace the leading end of a pipe or casing for pulling the pipe onto the derrick floor 12. A pick-up line 28 extends downwardly in the derrick 10 and has a loop 30, on its lower end, which is adapted to embrace a pipe or casing, at its leading end, after the cat line 22 has been disconnected, for pulling the pipe off the derrick floor 12 and up into the derrick.

A combination of the present invention, generally designated 32, is shown applied to the lay-down line 16 and the trailing ends of each of the pipes, the upper pipe being designated P1 and the lower pipe P2, the lower pipe P2 being supported on the catwalk 14, as the result of a rollback or of being placed thereon for installation in the derrick 10, and the upper pipe P1 being supported by the lay-down line and the derrick floor 12, in transit between the derrick and the catwalk or vice versa.

The combination 32 comprises a lift component 34 having a flat bar upright 36 having a cross head 38 on its lower end, which comprises a rearwardly extending right-angled arm 40 and an upwardly offset right-angled forwardly extending arm 42. The upper edge of the rear arm 40 has, next to the upright 36, a clearance notch 44. A pair of generally horizontal upper jaw levers 46, engaged with opposite sides of the upright 36, is pivoted, as indicated at 48, to the upright 36, at a point spaced above the cross head and adjacent to the rear edge of the upright, the axis of the pivot being rearwardly of the midlength points of the levers 46. An L-shaped jaw 50 is fixed between the forward ends of the levers 46, as indicated at 52, and has a downwardly extending gripping head 54 having a toothed or corrugated lower end 56, for engaging the upper surface of the sidewall 58 of a pipe, as shown in FIGURE 3.

A pair of elongated lower jaw levers 60, engaged with opposite sides of the upright 36, and longer than the upper jaw levers 46, is pivoted intermediate its ends, as indicated at '62, to the upright 36, at a point spaced below the upper levers 46, and at the forward edge of the upright 36. The part of the levers 60 which extend rearwardly from the pivot 62, serve as jaw clamping handles 64, as indicated in FIGURE 2. The upper and lower jaw levers are operatively connected together, by means of a toggle link 66, which is pivoted, at its upper end, as indicated at 68, between the rear ends of the upper levers 46, and, at its lower end, between the handles 64, at a point intermediate the rear ends of the handles and the lower jaw levers 60, as indicated at 65. As a result of the foregoing arrangement, with the forward path of the lower jaw levers 60 and the forward arm 42 of the cross head inserted within a pipe, as its trailing end 70, and the upper jaw 50 overlying the pipe, upward movement of the handles 64 grips the pipe sidewall between the lower levers 60 and the jaw 50, with the levers 46 and 60 in forwardly convergent relationship, as shown in FIGURE 3.

The combination 32 further comprises an automatic line brake component 72, which comprises a vertically elongated flat upright 74 having extended rearwardly at its lower end, a sleeve 76 slidably engaged on the upright 36 of the lift component 34. A lug 78 extends rearwardly from the sleeve 76, and has pivoted thereto, at a point spaced rearwardly from the uprights, as indicated at 80, the lower ends of a pair of vertical toggle links 82 engaged with the opposite sides of the lug 78. A pivot 84 traverses the upper end of the upright 36 of the lift com ponent 34 and has pivoted thereon, at opposite sides of the upright 36, the lower ends of the arms of a clevis 86. The clevis 86 is fixed on the" lower end of a straight locking lever 88, relative to which the clevis 86 is forwardly and downwardly angled, and which terminates, at its outer or free end in a lateral offset handle 90. The upper ends of the links 82 are pivoted, at their upper ends, as indicated at 92, to an upper part of the clevis 86.

When the locking lever 88 is pushed downwardly from the elevated released position shown FIGURE 2, to the depressed rearwardly and downwardly angled over-center locking position shown in FIGURE 3, the upright 36 of the lift component 34 is elevated, relative to the upright 74 of the brake component 72, and, the brake component 72 being engaged over the lay-down line 16, the trailing end of the pipe P2 is elevated off the catwalk 14, with the lift component 34 locked to the pipe.

The brake component 72 further comprises pivoted brake shoe carrier 94 having a pair of T-shaped side plates 95 having cross heads 96 and depending ears 98, the latter being engaged with opposite sides of the upright 74, at its upper end, and traversed by a pivot bolt 100, which extends through the upright 74. A pair of pulley side plates 102 braced by external vertical straps 184, are en gaged with opposite sides of the side plates 95, and a pivot bolt 106 extends through the straps 104, the side plates 102, and the side plates 95 at a point midway between the ends of the cro'ssheads 96. This arrangement provides for the pivoting of the brake shoe carrier 94, relative to the upright 74, from a released rearwardly and downwardly angled position, shown in FIGURE 2, to an elevated horizontal applied position, shown in FIGURE 3, as hereinafter set forth, without disturbing the upright vertical position of the pulley side plates 102. A grooved pulley wheel 108 is disposed between the pulley side 'plate 102, is engaged over the lay-down line 16, and is j ournalled on a bolt 110- extending therethrough. Vertical contractile springs 112 are secured, at their lower ends, as indicated at 114, to the forward ends of the jaw carrier cross heads, and, at their upper ends, as indicated at 116, to the pulley side plates 102-, at points forward of and above the pulley wheel bolt 110, whereby the carrier 94 is normally yieldably held in its depressed released position, as shown in FIGURE 2.

Positioned between the rear ends of the jaw carrier side plates 95, is an upstanding pivoted wedge block 118, which is journalled on a pivot pin 120, which traverses the side plates 102 at their side ends and extends through the wedge block 118, at a point below its midheight and at its rear edge 122. The wedgeblock 118 has a pendant apertured ear 124, at its forward edge 126. The forward and rear edges of the wedge block are substantially parallel, and the forward edge 126 merges into an upwardly and rearwardly curved portion 128 which meets the rear edge 122, at the upper end thereof. The upper end of the wedge block 118 is formed with an upwardly and laterally outwardly angled wedge surface 130, which opposes a similar angled wedge surface 131 of a wedge block 133 which is fixed to the lower part of the rear edge of a pulley side plate 162, as shown in FIGURE 7, and which are adapted to receive the lay-down line 16, when the wedge block 118 is moved to its elevated gripping position. This elevation of the wedge block 118 is produced by the downward pull exerted by the weight of the pipe gripped by the lift component 34, and by the weight of the combination 32, against the resistance of the springs 112.

The wedge block 118 is yieldably urged toward an erect upstanding position, toward the lay-down line 16, relative to the carrier 94, by an expanding coil spring 132, which iscircumposed on a rod 134, which extends rearwardly from a pivot'block 136, located between the carrier side plates 95 and pivoted thereto, as indicated at 138, at a point forwardly of the pivot bolt 106, as shown in FIG- URE 5. The rod 134 extends rearwardly through the aperture of the ear 124, and has a tension adjusting nut 140 threaded on its rear end, the spring 132 being compressed between the pivot block 136 and the nut 140.

In operation, as the combination32, with a pipe gripped by its lift component 34, is moved forwardly, as by means of a cat line 22 or the pick-up line 28, the jaw carrier 94 is depressed to its released position by the springs 112, at the same time that the wedge block 118 is tilted upwardly by the spring 132, so that the wedge block 118 has light frictional contact with the lay-down line 16, and the brake arrangement 72 is free to roll forwardly along the line 16, in company with the pipe, whereby the pipe is elevated off the catwalk 14 and its leading end placed upon the derrick floor 12, as illustrated in FIGURE 1, so that the pipe tends to subside rearwardly along the lay-down line 16,-due to the rearward declination thereof. If, for any reason, as is likely, the pipe-loaded combination 32 starts to move rearwardly relative to the lay-down line 16, as for example, when the cat line 22 is disconnected from the pipe, preliminary to attaching the pick-up line 28 to the pipe, the friction of the wedge block 118 with the lay-down line 16 causes the wedge block and the carrier 94 to tilt further upwardly and wedge the wedge block firmly against the side, the lay-down line 16 opposite the fixed Wedge block 133, automatically, so that the rearward movement is instantly arrested.

The combination 32 releases itself from the pipe, because of the weight transfer of the pipe P1 from the combination to the pick-up line 28, as the pipe P1 is to be pulled up into the derrick 10 by the pick-up line 28, the locking lever 88 being in the .down position. This allows the combination to clear the deck floor 12 and race back along the lay-down line 16. This eliminates the need for and the loss of time otherwise involved in opening the combination and raising the locking lever 88 by an operator standing on the deck floor 12. An operator on the deck floor is required only for holding the pipe.

Although there has been shown and described a preferred form of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not necessarily confined thereto, and that any change or changes in the structure of and in the relative arrangements of components thereof are contemplated as being within the scope of the invention as delined by the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:

'1. In combination, a derrick having a'floor, a catwalk extending laterally from the derrick on a level below the floor, a lay-down line secured to the derrick above the floor and declining to the outer end of the catwalk, a pipe extending along the catwalk and having a trailing end remote from the derrick and a leading end adjacent to the derrick, a lift cable connected to the leading end of the pipe, a lift and automatic brake combination comprising a lift component clamped to the trailing end of the pipe and a brake component having a pulley engaged over the lay-down line.

2. In combination, a derrick having a floor, a catwalk extending laterally from the derrick on a level below the floor, a lay-down line secured to the derrick above the floor and declining to the outer end of the catwalk, a pipe extending along the catwalk and having a trailing end remote from the derrick and a leading end adjacent to the derrick, a lift cable connected to the leading end of the pipe, a lift and automatic brake combination comprising a lift component clamped-to the trailing end of the pipe and a brake component having a pulley engaged over the lay-down line, said brake component having a pivoted wedge block and a fixed wedge block facing the pivoted block, said components being connected for vertical movement relative to each other, means for elevating the lift component relative to the brake component against the resistance of the weight of the pipe andthe combination, said wedge block normally occupying a downwardly pivoted released position and-being adapted to be ,moved'toa Wedging position by'the weight so as to change the lay-down line between the wedge blocks.

3. A combination of the character described, comprising alift component anda brake component, said lift componenthaving a vertical upright, a longitudinal cross head on the lower end of the upright, a substantially horizontal lower jaw lever pivoted intermediate its ends on the upright adjacent to the cross head, an upper substantially horizontal jaw lever pivoted intermediate its end on the upright above the lower jaw arm, a pipe engaging jaw block on one end of the upper lever, a vertical toggle link having its upper end pivoted to the upper lever at the side of the upright remote from said jaw block, said toggle lever having its lower end pivoted to the lower lever, said lower lever having a handle on one end thereof, said brake component comprising an upright disposed at one side of the upright of the lift component, means mounting the brake component upright on the lift component upright for vertical movement relative thereto, a locking lever pivoted on the upper end of the lift component upright above said means, a lateral lug on the brake component upright at its lower end, a vertical toggle link pivoted at its lower end to said lug and having its upper end pivoted to said locking lever, said locking lever being adapted to be depressed from an elevated position to a depressed over-center position for elevating the lift component relative to the brake component and locking the lift component in elevated position, said brake component further comprising a pulley side plate, a pulley journalled on and located at one side of the pulley plate, said pulley plate having a fixed wedge block, a movable wedge block carrier pivoted on the upper end of the brake component upright, a wedge block pivoted on the carrier and opposed to said fixed wedge block, first spring means acting between the carrier and said pivoted wedge block and urging the pivoted wedge block toward the fixed wedge block, and second spring means acting between the pulley side plate and the carrier and yieldably depressing the carrier away from the fixed wedge block.

4. A combination of the character described comprising a lift component having an upright, a cross head on the lower end of the upright having arms extending beyond opposite sides of the upright, a lower jaw lever pivoted intermediate its ends on the upright adjacent to the cross head, an upper jaw lever pivoted intermediate its ends on the upright above the lower lever, said upper lever having a fixed jaw thereon at one side of the upright, a toggle link pivoted at one end to the upper lever at the other side of the upright and at the other end to the lower lever at said other side of the upright, the part of the lower lever at said other side of the upright being elongated to provide a handle adapted to be elevated relative to the cross head to move the upper and lower jaw levers toward each other for clamping a pipe sidewall therebetween.

5. A combination of the character described comprising a lift component having an upright, a cross head on the lower end of the upright having arms extending beyond opposite sides of the upright, a lower jaw lever pivoted intermediate its ends on the upright adjacent to the cross head, an upper jaw lever pivoted intermediate its ends on the upright above the lower lever, said upper lever having a fixed jaw thereon at one side of the upright, a toggle link pivoted at one end to the upper lever at the other side of the upright and at the other end to the lower lever at said other side of the upright, the part of the lower lever at said other side of the upright being elongated to provide a handle adapted to be elevated relative to the cross head to move the upper and lower jaw levers toward each other for clamping a pipe sidewall therebetween, and a pulley equipped brake component engaged on the upright above the upper jaw lever, said brake component having line brake means thereon.

6. A combination of the character described, comprising a brake component and a lift component, said brake component comprising an upright having a carrier pivoted on its upper end, an upwardly spring-pressed wedge block pivoted on the carrier, said carrier being downwardly spring-pressed, a pulley side plate pivoted on and extending above the carrier and having a fixed wedge block to which said pivoted wedge block is opposed, a pulley journalled on the side plate, and engageable over a line, the pivoted wedge block being depressed relative to the fixed wedge block in the depressed position of the carrier, said lift component being mounted on the upright below the carrier and having pipe clamping means, the weight of the lift component and of a pipe clamped on said means serving to tilt the carrier upwardly and oppose the pivoted Wedge block to the fixed wedge block for clamping a line therebetween.

7. A combinationof the character described comprising a lift component having an upright, a cross head on the lower end of the upright having arms extending beyond opposite sides of the upright, a lower jaw lever pivoted intermediate its ends on the upright adjacent to the cross head, an upper jaw lever pivoted intermediate its ends on the upright above the lower lever, said upper lever having a fixed jaw thereon at one side of the upright, a toggle link pivoted at one end to the upper lever at the other side of the upright and at the other end to the lower lever at said other side of the upright, the part of the lower lever at said other side of the upright being elongated to provide a handle adapted to be elevated relative to the cross head to move the upper and lower jaw levers toward each other for clamping a pipe sidewall therebetween, and a brake component secured to and extending above the lift component and having a pulley engageable over a line, a pulley side plate on which said pulley is journalled, a fixed wedge block on said side plate, said brake component having an upright, a carrier pivoted on the upright, the pulley side plate being pivoted on the carrier, said carrier having an upstanding wedge block adapted to oppose the wedge block on the pulley side plate in an elevated position of the carrier, spring means yieldably urging the carrier to depressed position, the weight of the lift assembly being capable of elevating the carrier from a depressed position to an elevated position, against the resistance of said spring means.

No references cited. 

